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Cover Me Impressed

With a focus on the 60's-90's music scene, CMI is a Paradiso for Lovers Cover Songs! Each post focuses on a particular song and provides its original and most popular recordings as well as covers versions. Patrons of CMI vote on the most deserving cover version, which will then live to compete again, battling other cover songs in a future post.

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Guns of Brixton was released in 1979 on The Clash’s spectacular third album, London Calling. It was the first song recorded by The Clash that was written and composed by Paul Simonon. It was also the band’s first song to feature Simonon as lead vocalist. The Guns of Brixton was initially not released as a single. A remastered version was subsequently released as a single in July 1990, which reached number 57 on the UK Singles Chart (better late then never I suppose).

Brilliant song! One of my favorites.

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The Original

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The Clash:

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THE CLASH of Cover Tunes

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The Bandits vs. Nouvelle Vague

The Bandits:

The Bandits hold the distinction of being CMI’s Reigning Exultant Virtuosic Performer of “Guns of Brixton“. Additionally, The Bandits are recipients of CMI’s universally coveted title of Uni Victor Melodious Maximus in Adversarial Replication. Among the title’s myriad of rewards and benefits, perhaps most desirous is that it bestows upon the recipient the eminently yearned for privilege of having one’s name appear in print media in bold yellow.

The Bandits‘ triumphal performance in CMI’s THE CLASH of Cover Tunes competition is detailed below:

Nouvelle Vague:

Nouvelle Vague means “new wave” in English and “bossa nova” in Portuguese. The band was the brainchild of producers Marc Collin and Olivier Libaux, the concept being to remake classic new wave singles with a Brazilian pop twist. To add an unusual edge to the project, Collin and Libaux recruited French and Brazilian vocalists who were unfamiliar with the original versions of songs. The resulting songs were generally very interesting and, at times, excellent interpretations of the original material.

And will you look at this?!!? Nouvelle Vague has no reason to be intimidated as they too arerecipients of CMI’s universally coveted title of Uni Victor Melodious Maximus in Adversarial Replication.

Oh the disharmony! Much like Harlan County there are no neutrals here. Only one cover tune will live to play another day and it is your solemn responsibility to decide which one prevails. So tell me … Which Side Are You On?!!?

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Dubbs: The Nouvelle Vague video above if for Making Plans for Nigel, not Guns of Brixton. But I went out to YouTube and found it on my own. The Bandits do a great job, and in some respects I think it’s a better reggae song the way they do it rather than the Clash. Still, I love the Nouvelle Vague approach. I’ve heard several of their covers, and every one is great. I’m going with the bossa nova edition.

Yes, I too was surprised to find Nouvelle Vague doing XTC’s “Making Plans for Nigel” instead of Guns of Brixton. Unlike Cuspid (whose birthday is rapidly approaching), I didn’t have to find it on YouTube, as I have it already on my work computer. I am a big fan of Nouvelle Vague and have all of their albums, and am already quite familiar with their Guns of Brixton. These low key, downtempo versions of punk and new wave classics, with the sultry MazzyStar-like vocals, are superb, and I also give it to NV, although I do give kudos to The Bandits, who do an excellent version. (Nouvelle Vague do a hypnotic version of Joy Division’s “Love Will Tear Us Apart”, by the way.)

This is a really difficult vote for me. I love The Bandits version. A lot of energy and verve. I’m not sure you can cover the song any better. Pretty much all of NV’s covers are good and some are great. Guns of Brixton is my personal favorite of their catalog. As others have written, it works. Creative, sultry and alluring. A really cool way to cover an ass-kicker of a song.